Facebook Asks Court to Toss U.S. Lawsuit Seeking Breakup
- Company says FTC seeks ‘do-over’ on Instagram, WhatsApp deals
- Antitrust cases claim Facebook has social-media monopoly power
This article is for subscribers only.
Facebook Inc. asked a federal judge to throw out a U.S. antitrust case against the social-media company, saying the government is attempting a “do-over” by trying to unwind acquisitions that won regulatory approval years ago.
In a court filing Wednesday in Washington, Facebook said the December lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission ignores that the agency approved the company’s acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 and fails to explain why it now wants to undo them. The filing is Facebook’s first formal response to the FTC complaint and marks the start of a high-stakes battle over the future of the company. A similar suit has been filed by a group of states.